Q: I am the original owner of a 2000 Kia Sportage. Ever since we purchased this vehicle it has made a continuous, very loud and annoying squealing sound that seems to be coming from either the belts or the pulleys. I have taken this vehicle into many mechanics, Kia dealerships, and even contacted Kia headquarters and no one has been able to tell me what is wrong with it. We have had the belts replaced and my husband has even replaced one of the pulleys. Do you have any idea what could be wrong? I can't take this noise anymore, and I cannot sell the vehicle in this condition. Also, the noise gets worse when it is very hot or very cold, if that helps.

A: J.P., let me see if I understand the situation, your Sportage has had this noise since day one and nobody has been able to fix it?

Your Sportage has individual accessory belts instead of one big serpentine belt. Since your Sportage has separate belts for the alternator, air conditioning compressor and power steering pump, it should be easy to find the source of the noise. A technician can remove each belt, one at a time, and run the engine. For example, if removing the alternator belt eliminates the noise, the problem is associated with the alternator belt, alternator, or associated pulleys. The technician should look for a worn or misaligned belt. Pulley alignment can be checked with a straightedge or laser device.

Tension on the belts should also be checked as your Sportage does not utilize an automatic belt tensioner. If the squealing is present with all the drive belts removed, the problem could be with the engine's timing belt. The timing belt is behind a cover on your Sportage's engine and it requires replacement every 60,000 miles.

Q: You had a question from someone whose battery in their 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee kept going dead. I, too, have a Jeep Grand Cherokee with this problem but I realized that the lights keep going on and off while it's parked in my driveway. I'm guessing that it could be the high-low beam relay or something related with the "auto" function. What do you think?

A: C.M., I think it's a faulty headlamp switch. The headlamp switch on your vehicle is part of the left multifunction switch. Because this switch provides an input signal to the Body Control Module (BCM), a scan tool can be utilized by a technician to see if the switch is at fault. Not all scan tools will communicate with the BCM in your vehicle. Either take your vehicle to the dealer so they can use the factory scan tool, or find an independent shop that has a scan tool that will communicate with the BCM so it can be properly diagnosed.

Q: I own a 2007 Dodge Dakota with the Flex-Fuel 4.7-liter V-8 engine. I like using E85 fuel as it feels like the environmentally-right thing to do. A neighbor and I were recently talking about E85 fuel, and he said he remembers reading something about a company in the Chicagoloand area that is working on creating E85 that will be a lot cheaper than what's currently available. Do you have any information on this company?

A: G.S., yes, I do. The name of the company is Coskata. Their headquarters is in Warrenville, Ill. You can learn more about them and their process of generating ethanol by visiting their Web site, which is www.coskata.com.

AutoAdviser: Ira Siegel is an Automotive Instructor and ASE Certified Master Auto Technician. If you have auto-related questions for Ira Siegel you can call and leave your questions at the Auto Adviser Hotline at 708-633-6839 or e-mail a question to Autoadvisr@aol.com.